


I'm Nothing

by teen_content_queen



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Even Roland knows that's a bad idea, Jealousy, M/M, Neil gets hit on and Andrew doesn't like it, Oblivious Neil Josten, Protective Andrew Minyard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:02:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23483533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teen_content_queen/pseuds/teen_content_queen
Summary: Out at Twilight Eden's with the Foxes, Neil gets hit on and Andrew is not having it.
Relationships: Katelyn/Aaron Minyard, Matt Boyd/Danielle "Dan" Wilds, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 29
Kudos: 588
Collections: ANDREIL





	I'm Nothing

**Author's Note:**

> I read all of All For The Game in 5 days, and I'm a little obsessed so here's my first fic for the Foxes. Hope you enjoy!

Eden’s Twilight was busy, the usual Friday night crowd intensified by a local concert that had gotten out around the time they’d gotten into Columbia after their game. From the sidewalk outside, Neil watched Andrew and Allison’s cars swing around the corner as they went to find parking. 

“Neil?” Dan called out, looking for him as the rest of the Foxes disappeared into the bar. 

“Right here.” He said, turning back and following her and Matt through the door. 

As soon as they stepped inside, Neil spotted Aaron at the bar with Nicky, chatting with Roland as he poured drinks, arranging their usual order across two trays. Neil gave him a head nod before looking towards the tables nearby, where Kevin, Renee and Katelyn were watching the group before them clearing out their stuff to move on to the next bar. 

Katelyn may be a bit annoying, but Neil admired her ability to spot a table and sink her claws in. He watched her eye a rowdy group of women that Neil assumed must be a bachelorette party and cut them off at the pass with a steely gaze. Satisfied, Katelyn and Renne quickly took their seats while Kevin continued to eye the crowd. Neil, Matt and Dan arrived at the table just as Aaron and Nicky returned with the trays. 

“There’s a shot and a soda for you Neil.” Nicky said, eyeing Neil with a curious look. Neil just gave him a nod and took the soda, leaving the shot behind. He wasn’t in the mood tonight. Nicky let out an exasperated sigh and took the shot himself, chasing his own with the brown liquor. 

Neil took a seat on the far edge beside Matt, and listened to Matt and Nicky discuss the DJ’s music taste. A quick look down the table showed him that Dan and Kevin were already discussing the outcome of their game earlier that night. They’d won by 3 goals, but Neil knew from Kevin’s grumbling in the car that he wasn’t satisfied with the defensive line and by the look on Dan’s face, he wasn’t afraid to tell her so. Across from them, Renee and Katelyn were chatting away about something on Renee’s phone while Aaron watched them with only the faintest glimmer of interest on his face.

With the trays cleared, Neil made quick work of collecting the empty glasses, stacking them up and carrying the whole mess back to the bar for the next round. When Roland saw him coming, he held up a finger, letting him know he’d come over as soon as he could. The same bachelorette party from before seemed to be hoarding his attention at the moment. 

Neil found a small opening to slide the trays across and tucked himself in, ready to wait out of the flow of traffic. He looked towards the door, wondering where Allison and Andrew were before remembering the concert. Parking and traffic would both be a nightmare. He made a mental note to ask for extra shots for both of them. 

In his distraction, he hadn’t noticed the guy next to him staring until he finally turned back towards the bar. The guy was probably in his late 20s, his dark hair cut short and dark stubble groomed in a way that suggested it was intentional instead of just a lazy afterthought. He looked a little out of place at Eden’s but here he was, watching Neil. 

At this point Neil was used to the looks. Between Exy and the scars across his arms and cheeks, there was a lot about Neil Josten that garnered attention. He looked at the guy now, quickly realizing his gaze wasn’t like the starstruck looks he got at Palmetto or the curious eyes that traced his scars whenever he went somewhere with the Foxes. This guy wasn’t looking at Neil like that at all. Before Neil could decipher it, the man was talking to him. Because of the music, Neil had to lean in closer to hear what he was saying.

“Cool scars. I guess you like it a little rough.”

Neil pulled back a little to look at the man, noticing now the slight grey flecks in his stubble. Neil cocked his head to the side, not sure he’d heard the man correctly. Sure, he’d been hit on by Nicky a few times in his first year at Palmetto, but those had mostly been jokes and before then Neil had done such a good job of blending in that no one had ever thought to hit on him, let alone a stranger in a bar. The man must have mistaken Neil’s confusion for curiosity though and leaned in again. 

“Can I get you a drink?”

Neil shook his head, thinking about the nearly full soda he’d left under Matt’s protective eye at the table. He eyed Roland down the bar, but the bachelorette party was still holding his attention. 

“Ah come on, don’t be shy. I’m a nice guy.” The man said, leaning in so close now Neil could smell his cologne and the faint hint of cigarettes. 

“I’m fine.” Neil said, words soaked in their usual indifference. He pulled his gaze from the guy and looked back at the bar, hoping he’d get the hint and give up. Apparently, Neil wouldn’t be so lucky. 

Instead of moving onto another prospect, the guy turned from the bar towards Neil, pushing his weight into Neil’s firmly planted frame. By now, Neil had gone from confused to annoyed, sliding far enough away that he could no longer feel the guy’s body heat through his shirt. 

“If I can’t get you a drink, how about a dance?” He asked, a little bite to his question this time. Neil ground his teeth together. 

Roland finally closed out with the bachelorette party and was moving towards Neil when he noticed the guy next to him. Neil could tell he sensed something was off, because he distinctly made out Roland’s lips saying “oh God no” as the man put a hand on Neil’s shoulder in an effort to force Neil’s attention on him. 

Before Neil could do anything though, a hand reached out of the crowd for the guy’s elbow. Black bands covered his forearms, but Neil could still see the muscles underneath flex as the hand gripped the elbow and yanked it off of Neil. 

“You shouldn’t touch things that don’t belong to you.” Andrew said, voice emotionless but fingers still tight around the guy’s arm. 

The man looked from Neil to Andrew with a guilty and horrified expression that would have made Neil laugh a little if he wasn’t afraid of Andrew dislocating his elbow. Neil gave him less than a cursory glance before focusing on Andrew. Andrew finally tore his gaze from the guy to look at Neil.

“I’m fine.” Neil promised, answering the unasked question. 

He watched Andrew give him a once over and then turn back to the man beside them, dropping his elbow and watching as he skittered off into the crowd and away from them. When he’d disappeared, Andrew looked at Neil, expression back to a placid indifference but Neil could see his hand still clenched at his side. 

“I’m fine.” Neil said again, softer this time but knowing that Andrew would hear him. 

“200% Josten.” Andrew said, flicking an irritated glance towards the dance floor where the guy had disappeared to. 

Neil rolled his eyes. 

“That was not my fault. I’m stupid, remember? How am I supposed to know when a guy is flirting with me?”

“201.” Andrew replied, but Neil could see the smallest smile on his lips. Neil let his hands hover above Andrew’s still balled into fists at his side. Andrew looked down at them and back at Neil.

“Yes or no?” Neil asked. 

“Yes.” Andrew said.

With that, Neil took Andrew’s hands in his, soft despite their callouses. Without breaking his gaze, he gently uncoiled Andrew’s fingers, smoothing his over the half circles Andrew’s fingernails had dug into the pads of his hands. Interlocking their fingers together, Neil gave Andrew’s hands a small but firm squeeze before dropping one hand to turn toward the bar where Roland was busy filling their trays with drinks.

“An extra couple shots please.” Neil told him. Roland nodded.

“Already taken care of. Sorry about that Neil. If I’d seen him, I would have come over sooner.” 

Andrew was still looking at Neil, and again Neil squeezed his hand. 

“I’m fine Roland.”

Andrew huffed at his side, about as tired as his teammates of hearing Neil say his standard catchphrase. But their drinks were ready and Neil had to drop Andrew’s hand as they both took a tray and headed for the table. 

When they got back, only Kevin was left, the rest of them off on the dance floor. Neil spotted Nicky and Renee on the outer edge, jumping and flopping around while Katelyn and Aaron had gotten swallowed up by the crowd ahead of them. 

Kevin looked up, head buried in his phone. Neil saw the USC Exy game on his screen.

“How’s the game?”

“Trojans are up by 2. Jeremy is on fire.”

Andrew shifted next to Neil, pressing their thighs together as he picked up a glass from the tray in front of him and leaning into Neil’s side a bit. He stayed like that the rest of the night.

* * *

By the time they left Eden’s a few hours later, USC had won the game and Nicky had managed to lose part of his outfit on the dance floor. For the most part though, they were all in one piece and parted ways as they approached the cars, parked next to each other in spots that Neil would not have considered legal but knew better than to criticize. 

Renee took Allison’s keys and piled her bunch into the car, taking Nicky along so that he’d make his early morning flight to Germany, wishing Andrew’s lot a safe trip to their place in Columbia before hitting the road back to Palmetto. Andrew climbed in the passenger side and was already situated with his seatbelt on when Neil opened the driver’s side door. 

The trip back to Andrew’s place in Columbia was quiet, as Kevin had passed out immediately and Katelyn and Aaron spoke only to each other in hushed tones next to him. When they pulled into the driveway, Aaron and Katelyn had made their escape inside quickly as Andrew woke Kevin and the three drifted into the house. Kevin gave them a mumbled send off as he disappeared into Nicky’s room, shutting the door behind him. 

Neil could hear the sink running in the bathroom upstairs, Katelyn’s giggled drifting through the quiet house, and let Andrew lead him to the kitchen. Pulling out two glasses from the cabinets, Neil filled both with cool water and placed one in front of Andrew, not caring about the glare he got for his efforts. Instead, he sipped on his own and stared off into space, ears still ringing from the bar. 

His gaze was on the clock on the stove, the bright digits reading 2 am, when Andrew finally spoke. 

“You ever say I’m fine again and I’ll cut your tongue out myself.”

Neil couldn’t help himself, finally looking at Andrew to answer,

“But you like what I can do with my tongue.”

Andrew just watched him, expressionless.

“202 Josten. And only getting higher.”

“If you kill me, what will you do to keep yourself entertained?”

Andrew almost smiled at that and Neil took it as a victory.

“Not almost get in bar fights every time a guy looks at you for starters.” Andrew said, flicking a hand as if swatting away some invisible gnat.

“But I’m nothing.” Neil said, pleased with himself for the callback.

“And I want nothing.” Andrew said, flipping the script on him. Neil almost choked on his water and set the glass down with shaky hands. Andrew stepped around the counter so that his chest was almost flush with Neil’s. 

“Yes or no?” He asked.

“Yes.” Neil said, voice a little higher with shock and anticipation. Andrew wrapped a hand around the back of Neil’s head, grabbing onto a fistful of hair and dragging his head down to meet Andrew’s, lips crashing together.

**Author's Note:**

> I would die for Neil and Andrew, so hope that comes across. Leave comments and kudos if you feel so inclined.


End file.
